It's a bit like your own birthday party. There's a moment at around 2 a.m. when you just want everybody to go home. But the next morning when you're alone with nothing to do but clean up the empty bottles, you miss them.

My first paying job might have been doing a play, actually. My mom paid me to dress up as a flounder at my sister's 'Little Mermaid' - themed birthday party when I was little.

Abby touched her palm to my cheek. "You know what, Mr. Maddox?"
"What, baby?"
Her expression turned serious.
"In another life, I could love you."
I watched her for a moment, staring into her glassed over eyes. She was drunk, but just for a moment it didn't seem wrong to pretend that she meant it.
"I might love you in this one.

We wanted it to be very kid-like and birthday party-ish.

My son called his auntie yesterday and invited her to his birthday party. Now she can't come.

They will have to think through their scripts and make their own judgments just as newspaper editors and TV producers do.